Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Amelanchier, Serviceberry trees, 1 by Rickwebb

Rickwebb wrote:
Right now in southeast PA my two Apple Serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora) and one Alleghany Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) trees are in full white bloom. The first photo is the trees in my backyard in bloom. The second is a photo of a Shadblow Serviceberry in summer foliage in my native town in northern Illinois. The third is my larger Apple Serviceberry in fall color in 2008. The forth is the delicious fruit of my trees that both I and a number of birds just adore, tasting sort of like cherry. The fifth photo is the good winter form of the larger and full-grown Apple serviceberry in winter, showing the good, smooth, gray bark. A wonderful ornamental tree better than most. It should be planted so much more. It is planted mostly by landscape architects and designers. The homeowners should get on board. The Apple Serviceberry is a natural hybrid of the Alleghany x Downy Serviceberries that are the two larger tree species; the later species has slightly bigger leaves and some hairiness. The Shadblow Serviceberry (Amelanchier Canadensis) is smaller with a greater number of stems that are more slender. There are several species that are shrubs.